Building blocks



1 a. CfJfi lllt-sf COAUNG OR rear-ls..-

Patented Oct. 2, 1945 l H CROSS R EFERElt CF.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 7 2,386,163

BUILDING BLOCKS August Holmes, Cranford, N. 1., and Joseph C. Roediger, Brooklyn, N. Y., assignors, by mesne assignments, to Standard Catalytic Company, a corporation of Delaware No Drawing. Application November 7, 1939,

. Serial No. 303,316

4 Claims. (Cl. 106-269) This invention relates to improvements in the methods of treating soils for the manufacture of blocks for use in curtain or bearing wall construction, or as flooring blocks. These improvements may also be applied to the monolithic'laying of soil-asphalt mixtures for low cost roadways, now termed soil stabilization.

It is well known that dwellings may be made of earth or clay earth which is perhaps the material used in the first buildings erected by man, but the objections to structures of such material were that they often washed away during long, rainy seasons, were susceptible to infestation by redents, vermin, and the like, and in many cases developed cracks due to stresses set up by climatic changes. Bricks were later used which were prepared by mixing clay and straw and allowing the moulded mixture to harden by exposure to the sun. In the development of brick manufacturing methods, artificial heat wasused in order to obtain a stronger material which would resist the effects of water and thereby be an improve-'- ment over the ordinary clay-straw brick.

Building blocks have been manufactured in recent years from a mixture of soil, selected or adjusted to have a. satisfactory grading and a suitable content of clay, with the proper amount of cutback asphalt or emulsified asphalt. This mixture which generally contains water to facilitate the thorough incorporation of the asphaltic material is compacted into blocks of the desired size using known methods of compaction. The finished block is then cured by natural or artificial means so that it may obtain a suitable strength before use in construction.

It is an object of this invention to manufacture building blocks'using as the major proportion of the material clay or soil which is available close to the location where they are to be manufactured and thereby economizing by using the cheapest material available in that locality.

According to this invention, soil is mixed with a limited amount of an aqueous solution of an alkaline material, such a's'waT'er-soIuBle soaps, al-

EaHneH droxides or car nates triso mm '65 fiatefso'dium" silicate etc. to prepare a plastic re 0! the soil. time may be added to the plastic mixture.

An as halt binder containing a reactive agent such as oleic acig: na hthenic aci e is t en added to the p ast1cm1'xEure. 'I'Ee asphaltic binder may be a combination'of a g 531% and powdered harg asphalt having a $01 tenin int of 150 450 ii. the latter add'e'il separately; an a g2 g a softenig point :u; f

a a ga -magma or an wigs. e ulslon. Themix ureis enpoured into m s and cured. It may be subjected to pressures up to 3000 pounds per square inch, if desired. If the blocks repared according to this method are to be exposed to moisture in sections of the country where the rainfall is substantially high, heat may be used to accelerate the curing of the block.

Likewise, the clay or il may be first impregnated with about 1% to 10%61! r. 31 metallic salt, such as lead nitrate, 1r on c510 ride, iron sulfate etc. e amount 0 s t sollft'on is praerably about 10%, although 2% to 25% solutions may be used. The soil, after thorough mixing, is treated with 2% to 20% of a cut; back as halt preferably about 5% by wei'g' fit. e on bac asphalt contains from 40 to of an asphalt having a softening point ranging from 90 F. to as high as F. The cutback or the asphalt solution contains agents such as fatty am 5, meta csoa s, W etc. The treate so mixed up e cu ac asphalt is then poured into moulds and subjected to pressure or tamping. The pressure used may be up to 3000 or more pounds per square inch, or a pnuematic tamping device may be used.

The building blocks on removal from the moulds are generally;

or without the aid of artificial heat, 0 rem volatile mate: rials. is necessary orr a D 'strength may be developed before construction with the block is attempted. This applies to a lesser extent when the mixture is used for road construction. The curing operation, without the use of artificial heat, may be aided by the incorporation of a material such as cement burnt lime laster of Paris etc. which mum we or and form fidrated compounds which develop additional strength in the mixture over that obtainable by the simple evaporation of water from the mixture. The finished block will have a high earlier strength if treated with a hydrating material,

For example, soil is treated with a suitable amount of gggtrin order that the soil may have that water con ent permitting satisfactory subsequent incorporation of the asphaltic binder. To this moistened soil is then added the asphalt binder which may consist of flux oil arm aspfiaTt e vasnha t or momma-5pm.

T'Othr wTth wetting agent. about?) $107: of the asphalt bm' "der is used. The soil and the asphalt binding material are thoroughly mixed, after which is added a suitable amount, usually in the range of 1 to 5%, of dry cement, g g-gt prises mixing in a cold state, soil and water containing an inorganic metallic salt to form a plastic mass, adding an asphalt containin a Iatty acid to the plastic mass and submitting the mixture to pressure of at least 50 pounds per square inch.

2. A process of manufacturing building blocks,

curtain wall blocks, floor blocks, etc., which omprises mixing a soil with an aqueous solution of lead nitrate to form a plastic mass, incorporating in the plastic mass a cutback asphalt containing heptadecylamine, pouring the mixture into moulds and subjecting the mixture to a pressure up to 3000 pounds per square inch.

3. A process of manufacturing building blocks, curtain wall blocks, and floor blocks which comprises, mixing in a cold state soil and water contaming a metallic salt or the class consisting of lead nitrate, iron chloride and iron sulphate to form a plastic mass, adding an asphalt containit! ing oleic acid to the plastic mass and subjecting the mixture to pressure of at least 50 pounds per sq ar in h.

4. A process of manufacturing building blocks,

curtain wall blocks and floor blocks which comprises mixing in a cold state soil and a fluid vehicle containing trisodium phosphate to form a plastic mass, adding an asphaltic bonding agent to which had been added oleic acid to the plastic mass. and molding the mixture into blocks.

JOSEPH C. ROEDIGER. AUGUST HOLMES. 

